Jenny’s Whole Wheat Bread

(Makes six loaves)

6 ½ cups of warm water (I get the water as hot as I can get from the tap)

3 T Saf Yeast (divided)

6-7 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour

2/3 cup total oil/applesauce

3 T lecithin

2/3 cup honey or 1 cup sugar

2 T salt

½ cup Vital Wheat Gluten

3 T Dough Enhancer

8-9ish more cups of whole wheat flour, more or less as needed

Optional:  ½ cup ground flax seed

In a large bowl (Bosch/K-tec), place warm water, ½ the yeast, and about 6or 7 cups of the flour.  After mixing, it should look about like pancake batter.  Cover this mixture and let it “sponge” for 30 minutes.  The sponge will be bubbly and smell yeasty.

Stir to punch down.  Then add the other half of the yeast (this gives it a yeast “boost”), the oil/applesauce mixture, lecithin, honey, slat, vital wheat gluten and dough enhancer.  You would also add the ground flax seed at this point.  Mix to blend.  Add about 2-3 cups of flour and mix to blend.  Keep mixing (I do a #1 or a #2 on the Bosch) and add flour about a ½ cup at a time until the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl.  Stop adding flour.  This is a soft and slightly sticky dough.  Knead (Bosch #2) for 10 minutes—auto knead for K-tec.

Let dough rise covered fro about 15 minutes.  You do not want to let it double in size at this point because that will break the gluten strands you have worked hard to develop.  It’s just a mini rise.

Spray counter with vegetable spray.  Punch dough down and divide into six pieces.  Shape loaves and place in pans sprayed with vegetable spray.  (pans measuring 8 ½” x 4 ½” work best.)  Cover, let rise until almost doubled.

Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes (180-190 degrees with internal temperature)

When done, immediately take out of pans and cool on racks.  Cover with a towel to soften crust or brush with butter.

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